Latest news with #AvaWhite
Daily Mail
13 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Mother of Ava White, 12, who was murdered over petty Snapchat row condemns 'monster' teenage killer's lack of remorse after he posted selfie to site from behind bars
The mother of murdered 12-year-old Ava White today branded the teenager who killed her in a petty row over Snapchat video a 'monster' after he posted a selfie on the same platform from behind bars. Harry Gilbertson - who was 14 when he fatally stabbed Ava - was unmasked by Mail Online today as he turns 18. Ava's campaigning mother Leeann, who has dedicated her life to tackling knife crime, said it was 'important the public know who he is' now that he is legally an adult. To her fury, despite the fact that he's currently serving a minimum 13-year sentence for murdering Ava in November 2021, muscle-bound Gilbertson managed to upload an image of himself onto Snapchat. For her family it was particular hurtful because the argument which led to Gilbertson stabbing the schoolgirl in the neck was sparked by his refusal to delete a Snapchat video he had made of Ava and her friends. They had been in Liverpool city centre to watch the Christmas lights switch-on - but instead 'unique and hugely popular' Ava was left bleeding to death on the pavement. Ava's mother today slammed Gilbertson for brazenly flaunting his bulked-up physique on the same social media site. 'The picture was taken on Snapchat,' she said. 'The same social media that he posted the video of Ava on before he murdered her. 'He has never shown any remorse.' She added: 'I don't call him by his name. I call him the monster.' And Ms White, 42, demanded to know how Gilbertson had managed to evade prison rules and access the internet from within the secure unit where he is serving a life sentence. 'I know he got read the riot act for that,' Ms White added. 'They told me he used a tablet that was supposed to be for educational purposes to post it and that there was a glitch in the prison systems that allowed him to get on to the Internet, but I just don't buy that. 'It's disgusting, he didn't even get any extra time added on to his sentence.' Gilbertson was convicted of Ava's murder in 2022 - but the trial judge refused calls from Ava's family and the Press for him to be named, saying the risk to his family, in particular his younger siblings, was too great. Today, however, the Mail can identify and picture Gilbertson for the first time on his 18th birthday. Ava's mother, Leeann White, 42, said: 'It is important the public know who he is. 'The public know everything about Ava – her name was splashed everywhere when she died. 'Why shouldn't everyone know what he did? Why should he be protected? 'He was the one in the wrong, he was the one who went out that night with a knife. 'He's never shown any remorse. 'I know he was only a child himself when it happened but children know right from wrong and my child knew not to pick up a knife and stab someone. 'His name needs to be out there to act as a deterrent to others who might be thinking about carrying knives.' Ms White said that she now believed that 'with hindsight' Mrs Justice Yip, who presided over Gilbertson's trial at Liverpool Crown Court, had been right to prevent him from being named initially. 'If the judge had named him then he would probably be getting a new identity on his 18th birthday so, in a way, I am glad she didn't,' Ms White added. 'I definitely don't want that. 'I've waited all this time for his name to be out there. If he was given a new identity and I didn't know who he was, I don't think I would be able to go on living.' Ava had been given permission to stay out late to see the lights turned on when they encountered a group of boys including Gilbertson on November 25, 2021. She became angry when he filmed her and posted it online. Ava - who attended Notre Dame Catholic College in Everton - demanded Gilbertson delete the video from Snapchat. But an argument developed and he stabbed her in the neck with a three-inch flick knife. Gilbertson told jurors he carried the knife to make himself 'feel big'. He claimed he stabbed her in self-defence. But the court heard he 'grinned' as Ava lay dying, before running off to discard his coat and the weapon. Jurors rejected his version of events and convicted him of Ava's murder. Mrs Justice Yip was told Gilbertson was de-sensitised to violence after witnessing his father attack his mother at home. He had also been made the subject of a community resolution notice four months before Ava's murder for hitting a police community support officer on the head. At the time of Ava's death he was awaiting trial for assaulting two women and was known to police who were concerned he was being groomed into a criminal gang. Sentencing Gilbertson, who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and attended a special school, Mrs Justice Yip highlighted the role social media played in the case, saying it was tragic 'something so small' as a Snapchat video had left a girl dead. She told him: 'There is only one reason why Ava is dead and that is because you chose to carry a knife and you chose to get it out and use it.' Ms White told the Mail she agreed with Esther Ghey, 38, whose 16-year-old daughter Brianna was also stabbed to death by teenagers, that the Government needed to do more to protect children from dangers associated with social media sites. Ms White added: 'I've met Esther and agree with her campaigns. 'All social media does is cause harm and distress. Everything children are exposed to on there is frightening.' Although almost four years have passed since Ava's death, Ms White said she finds it really hard to cope with the loss of her youngest child. The mother-of-two tearfully added: 'I'm really up and down. 'Some days I'm okay, other days are really bad and I can't stop crying. 'It doesn't get any easier, it seems to get harder as time goes on. 'It really was so senseless what happened to Ava. 'I don't agree with violence at all, but I'm always thinking "Why couldn't he have just pushed or shoved her?" 'She was only 12, he was 14. She was a girl and he was a boy. 'Why didn't he just push her, he didn't have to stab her in the neck.' She said the Ava White Foundation, which she set up in the wake of her daughter's murder, 'keeps me going'. The not-for-profit organisation campaigns against knife crime and aims to fund and deliver specialist bleed packs to schools, youth clubs, pubs and train and bus stations in the North West. It also visits schools to educate schoolchildren on the dangers of carrying knives and to teach life-saving skills. 'To be honest, I don't know where I would be without it,' Ms White, a former shop assistant, added. 'It gives me a reason to get up in the morning. 'I know I have to do this for Ava and it keeps me going each day until I get home.' A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman today said: 'This was an horrendous crime, and our thoughts remain with the family of Ava White. 'No victim should ever have to see their perpetrators appearing online. 'We've put in place tough measures to clamp down on the use of social media in prisons and have committed to review how we could extend these controls to all places of custody.' Under prison rules, inmates - including children - face 'sanctions' if they are caught in possession of a mobile phone or other illicit device with internet access.
Sky News
2 hours ago
- Sky News
Teenager who murdered 12-year-old Ava White named for first time
The teenager who murdered 12-year-old Ava White in Liverpool can be publicly named for the first time after turning 18. Harry Gilbertson was 14 when he carried out the attack in the city centre back in November 2021. He was convicted of murder the following year - and sentenced to a minimum of 13 years behind bars. Reporting restrictions preventing Gilbertson being identified were kept in place until now, despite requests from the media and Ava's family. Her mother Leeann White said: "I wanted the whole world to know who he was. I think Liverpool had the right to know who he was as well." The 42-year-old added that she has been told little about her daughter's killer but learned he has done his GCSEs. "It should have been Ava sitting her GCSEs, not him," she said. On what would have been Ava's 15th birthday, Ms White's nephew was sent a photograph on Snapchat that appeared to show Gilbertson posing for the camera with his arms crossed, next to another male who had his middle finger up. She reported the photo and was told a glitch meant an iPad that Gilbertson was using for educational purposes could be used to access the internet. "He didn't get any privileges taken off him. He just got a telling off basically," Ms White said. She described being "really angry" when she saw the picture, adding: "I can never have a photograph with my child now, so why does he have the right? "He lost his rights when he murdered my child." Ms White said she tries not to think about Gilbertson, because doing so means she is "just taking a million steps back". Judge Mrs Justice Yip kept the reporting restrictions in place over concerns for the killer's younger siblings, as one of them had not been told that their brother was on trial for murder. But Ms White feels her family had "nowhere near" the same protection. "I had to sit my little nephews and nieces down and tell them about Ava, but they could hide everything for him," she said. "I feel like they've done everything they can to protect him and his family." Ms White has now set up a foundation in Ava's name that provides bleed control kits to schools, pubs and businesses - along with training on how to use them. At least six lives have been saved thanks to the kits. "I think every establishment should have one," she said. "The way knife crime is, it's not going down, it's getting worse." Ava was in the city centre with friends as the Christmas lights were turned on, but her group became involved in an argument with Gilbertson and his friends. He was carrying a knife and struck Ava once in the neck, causing her fatal injury. Gilbertson fled the scene, discarded the weapon and his coat, and was seen on CCTV in a shop later that night taking a selfie and buying butter. Ms White said she no longer has "good days" since Ava's death, but has "okay days and really bad days". She added: "What keeps me going is I'm keeping Ava's name out there and that's more important to me - to keep Ava's name out there so she's not forgotten." A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said: "This was a horrendous crime, and our thoughts remain with the family of Ava White. "No victim should ever have to see their perpetrators appearing online. "We've put in place tough measures to clamp down on the use of social media in prisons and have committed to review how we could extend these controls to all places of custody."
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Teenager who murdered 12-year-old Ava White named for first time
The teenager who fatally stabbed 12-year-old Ava White in Liverpool city centre can now be named as Harry Gilbertson, following the lifting of reporting restrictions as he turns 18. Gilbertson was just 14 years old when he carried out the fatal attack on the schoolgirl on 25 November, 2021. The following year, at the age of 15, he was convicted of her murder after a trial and subsequently sentenced to a minimum of 13 years in prison. Reporting restrictions, which had prevented Gilbertson from being identified publicly, remained in place until his 18th birthday. This was despite representations from various media outlets, a position that was supported by Ava's family, who had also called for his name to be made public. Ava's mother Leeann White said: 'I wanted the whole world to know who he was. I think Liverpool had the right to know who he was as well.' Ms White, 42, said that since the trial, she had been told very little about Gilbertson, but had learnt he had done his GCSEs. Speaking through tears, she said: 'It should have been Ava sitting her GCSEs, not him.' On Ava's 15th birthday, in January 2024, Ms White's nephew was sent a photograph from a seemingly fake Snapchat profile which appeared to show Gilbertson posing for the camera with his arms crossed alongside another male whose face had been covered on the photo with a logo and who had his middle finger up. Ms White reported the photo and was told Gilbertson had been using an iPad for educational purposes and there was a glitch in the system allowing him to use the internet, but was also told the photo had been taken while he was on a visit. She said she was told he had been 'read the riot act' but had no formal punishment. Ms White said: 'He didn't get any privileges taken off him. He just got a telling off, basically.' She said she felt 'really angry' when she saw the picture. 'I can never have a photograph with my child now, so why does he have the right? He lost his rights when he murdered my child,' she said. Ms White, who has set up a foundation in Ava's name that provides bleed control kits to premises, said she had mixed emotions about Gilbertson being named. 'I try not to think about him if I'm being honest, because if I do, I'm just taking a million steps back,' she said. 'So I just try to focus on Ava and doing stuff for her legacy is more important to me than thinking about him.' When making the decision to keep reporting restrictions in place, trial judge Mrs Justice Yip said there were concerns for Gilbertson's younger siblings, one of whom had not been told their brother was on trial for murder. Ms White said: 'Yet I had to sit my little nephews and nieces down and tell them about Ava, but they could hide everything for him. I feel like they've done everything they can to protect him and his family.' She said she felt her own family had 'nowhere near' the same protection. Ava had been in the city centre with friends on the night the Christmas lights were being switched on. The group became involved in an argument with Gilbertson and his friends, who had been filming Snapchat videos of them. Gilbertson was carrying a knife and struck Ava once to the neck, causing her fatal injury, before fleeing the scene, discarding the weapon and getting rid of his coat. He was seen on CCTV in a shop later that night taking a selfie and buying butter, which he said was for crumpets. Ms White added: 'I think he's got understanding (of what he's done), he's quite a clever child. 'He's got understanding, he's just got no remorse. 'It really doesn't feel like justice. He still gets to live and breathe. My Ava doesn't. His mum can see him getting married, having a baby. I'm never going to have that with Ava.' Since Ava's death, Ms White, along with Ava's older sister Mia and her aunt June White, have worked through the Ava White Foundation to provide hundreds of bleed control kits in the hope they can prevent other families from going through what they experienced. At least six lives have been saved thanks to the kits provided by the Ava White Foundation, Ms White said. The packs, which include gauze, trauma dressings and tourniquets, are delivered to schools, pubs and businesses and training is given on how to use them. When a 14-year-old girl and 15-year-old boy were stabbed in Kirkby, Merseyside, in April, a bleed control kit donated in Ava's name to a nearby pub was used to help treat the children, who were both taken to hospital but survived. Ms White said: 'I think every establishment should have one. The way knife crime is, it's not going down, it's getting worse. Everyone needs to be aware of this training, it's so easy.' She said hearing of other children killed through knife crime made her 'sad for the child but more so for the mum and what she's got to go through now'. Since Ava's death she no longer has 'good days' but has 'OK days and really bad days', Ms White said. She added: 'What keeps me going is I'm keeping Ava's name out there and that's more important to me – to keep Ava's name out there so she's not forgotten.' A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said: 'This was an horrendous crime, and our thoughts remain with the family of Ava White. 'No victim should ever have to see their perpetrators appearing online. 'We've put in place tough measures to clamp down on the use of social media in prisons and have committed to review how we could extend these controls to all places of custody.'
BBC News
5 hours ago
- BBC News
Liverpool schoolgirl Ava White's killer is named as Harry Gilbertson
A teenager who stabbed a12-year-old schoolgirl to death can be named for the first time as he turns Gilbertson was 14 when he attacked Ava White in Liverpool after a row over a Snapchat video in November following year, he was convicted of her murder after a trial and, at 15, he was sentenced to a minimum of 13 years, but could not be identified due to reporting restrictions, despite representations from the mother Leeann White said: "I wanted the whole world to know who he was. I think Liverpool had the right to know who he was as well." On Ava's 15th birthday, in January 2024, Ms White's nephew was sent a photograph of Gilbertson from a seemingly fake Snapchat appeared to show him posing for the camera with his arms crossed alongside another male whose face had been covered on the photo with a logo and who had his middle finger White reported the photo and was told Gilbertson had been using an iPad for educational purposes and there was a glitch in the system allowing him to use the internet, but was also told the photo had been taken while he was on a said she was told he had been "read the riot act" but had no formal White said she felt "really angry" when she saw the picture."I can never have a photograph with my child now so why does he have the right?" Ava had been in the city centre with friends on 25 November, the night the Christmas lights were being switched on. The group became involved in an argument with Gilbertson and his friends, who had been filming Snapchat videos of was carrying a knife and stabbed Ava once to the neck, before fleeing the scene, discarding the weapon and getting rid of his was seen on CCTV in a shop later that night taking a selfie and buying butter, which he said was for White admitted she had mixed emotions about Gilbertson being named, as she said: "I try not to think about him if I'm being honest, because if I do, I'm just taking a million steps back."So I just try to focus on Ava and doing stuff for her legacy is more important to me than thinking about him."The 42-year-old said since the trial she had been told very little about Gilbertson, but had learnt he had done his GCSEs."It should have been Ava sitting her GCSEs, not him," she said. When making the decision to keep reporting restrictions in place, trial judge Mrs Justice Yip said there were concerns for younger family members, one of whom had not been told he was on trial for White said: "Yet I had to sit my little nephews and nieces down and tell them about Ava, but they could hide everything for him. I feel like they've done everything they can to protect him and his family."She said she felt her own family had "nowhere near" the same protection. Ms White said she believed her daughter's killer had an "understanding" of what he had done, but "no remorse"."He still gets to live and breathe. My Ava doesn't. His mum can see him getting married, having a baby. I'm never going to have that with Ava."She has since set up the Ava White Foundation to provide hundreds of bleed control kits. She said at least six lives had been saved through the packs."What keeps me going is I'm keeping Ava's name out there and that's more important to me, to keep Ava's name out there so she's not forgotten," she said Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
The Sun
7 hours ago
- The Sun
Evil teen who murdered 12-year-old Ava White at Christmas light switch on is unmasked for first time as he turns 18
THE teenager who fatally stabbed 12-year-old Ava White at a Christmas light display can be named for the first time as he turns 18. Harry Gilbertson was 14 when he carried out the attack on the schoolgirl in Liverpool city centre in November 2021. 3 3 The following year, Gilbertson was convicted of her murder after a trial and sentenced to a minimum of 13 years in prison. Reporting restrictions preventing him from being identified were kept in place until he turned 18 - despite appeals from the media, which were supported by Ava's family. The schoolgirl was just 12 years old when she was killed after being stabbed in the neck outside a clothing shop at a Christmas lights display. Gilbertson had launched the devastating attack after a petty row over a Snapchat video. Ava suffered "devastating injuries" and tragically passed away shortly after being taken to Alder Hey Children's Hospital. Her mother, Leeann White, 42, said: "I wanted the whole world to know who he was. "I think Liverpool had the right to know who he was as well. "I try not to think about him if I'm being honest, because if I do, I'm just taking a million steps back. "So I just try to focus on Ava and doing stuff for her legacy is more important to me than thinking about him." In January 2024, Ms White's family was sent a photograph from a Snapchat account which appeared to show Gilbertson with his arms crossed. In the picture - sent on Ava's 15th birthday - he posed with another male whose face had been covered up and who had his middle finger up. Ms White reported the photo and was told Gilbertson had been using an iPad for educational purposes, but a glitch had allowed him to access the internet. She was told he had been "read the riot act" but had no formal punishment. She added: "He didn't get any privileges taken off him. He just got a telling off basically. "I can never have a photograph with my child now so why does he have the right? "He lost his rights when he murdered my child." 3
